Those were the four I could pick off the top of my head, you may have another that I’ve not thought of. Do feel free to let me know.

It’s clear that consumers are currently very, very happy with the iPad, it’s selling in huge numbers and with the new lower priced iPad 2 I can’t see those numbers slowing in any major way.

Significantly, for Apple, price isn’t going to be much of a differentiating factor either. Yes, you can always get yourself a ‘proper PC’ for £399 from PC World, but then you can now and it’s not really holding back the tide of iPad success. Yes, those new PCs will run Windows 8, but how will they compare to an iPad? More favourably than the iPad, don’t think they will for a lot of consumers.

So, to my list. It’s Microsoft Windows is a big pull and shouldn’t be underestimated. However, I think for tablets the damage is already done. People see tablet and think iPad not Windows. In exactly the same way they look at PCs and think Windows.

It’s not the iPad hasn’t pushed mega sales of Android tablets, so Microsoft has it’s not the iPad or Android going for it I suppose. In reality, though, those truly invested in not having Apple because it’s Apple can’t be that big a market.

As for device options, this point is undeniable. The iPad and at a push the iPod touch are the sole options for your iOS tablet experience. Window 8 will run on crapola loads of tablet devices. If people really demand this choice remains to be seen of course.

Hardware keyboard

USB ports

SD card slots

Flash compatibility

Removable battery

Optical drive

HDMI port

Bigger screen

Smaller screen

A lack of these has not stopped the iPad from selling well. Windows 8 tablets will, no doubt, add all these options and more, but then so do many Android tablets and thus far the competition isn’t exactly something to write home about.

The elephant in the corner, of course, is that Windows 8 will sell like crack cocaine at an Oscars after party, because, well, it’s Windows and there are billions of PCs out there that will be upgraded or will be replaced with new machines running the spanky new OS. Some of those, inevitably, will be tablets.

I just can’t see a deeper reason why Windows 8 will be a major challenge to the iPad. By the time it’s out Microsoft will be 100 million iPads behind the curve. Manufacturers will have to come up with some pretty compelling devices to claw that lead back and thus far they’ve failed to do that. I’m not sure a slightly different OS, even one from Microsoft is the answer.

So, why will people buy Windows 8 tablets?
**UPDATE**

This:

@allpointsnorth Until it arrives on iOS the advantage is Microsoft Office. That is unless it arrives on iOS first.